Su-34 (Su-32) Fullback Fighter Bomber, Russia

The Sukhoi Su-34 (Russian: Сухой Су-34) (NATO reporting name: Fullback) also known as Su-27IB is a Russian twin-engined, twin-seat strike fighter.It is intended to replace the Sukhoi Su-24,has been developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau Joint Stock Company in Moscow and the Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association at Novosibirsk, Russia.

Based on the Sukhoi Su-27 'Flanker', the two-seat Su-34 is designed primarily for tactical deployment against ground and naval targets (tactical bombing/attack/interdiction roles, including against small and mobile targets) on solo and group missions in daytime and at night, under favourable and adverse weather conditions and in a hostile environment with counter-fire and EW counter-measures deployed, as well as for aerial reconnaissance.
The Russian Air Force ordered an initial 32 Su-34 aircraft in 2008, with an additional requirement for 92 aircraft in 2012. The first two production aircraft were delivered to the Russian Air Force in December 2006. The export designation of the Su-34 is Su-32.
Development
The Su-34 had a muddied and protracted beginning.In the mid-1980s, Sukhoi began developing a new tactical multirole combat aircraft to replace the swing-wing Su-24, which would incorporate a host of conflicting requirements. The bureau thus selected the Su-27, which excelled in maneuverability and range, and could carry a large payload, as the basis for the new fighter-bomber.More specifically, the aircraft was developed from T10KM-2, the naval trainer derivative of the Sukhoi Su-27K. The development, known internally as T-10V, was shelved at the end of the 1980s sharing the fate of Soviet aircraft carrier Ulyanovsk; this was the result of the political upheaval in the Soviet Union and its subsequent disintegration.
In August 1990, a photograph taken by a TASS officer showed an aircraft making a dummy approach towards the aircraft carrier Tbilisi.The aircraft, subsequently and erroneously labelled Su-27KU by Western intelligence, made its maiden flight on 13 April 1990 with Anatoliy Ivanov at the controls.Converted from an Su-27UB with the new distinctive nose, while retaining the main undercarriage of previous Su-27s, it was a prototype for the Su-27IB (Istrebitel Bombardirovshchik, or "fighter bomber").It was developed in parallel with the two-seat naval trainer, the Su-27KUB. However, contrary to earlier reports, the two aircraft are not directly related.Flight tests continued throughout 1990 and into 1991.
In 1992, the Su-27IB was displayed to the public at the MosAeroshow (later renamed "MAKS Airshow"), where it demonstrated aerial refuelling with an Il-78, and performed an aerobatic display. The aircraft was officially unveiled on 13 February 1992 at Machulishi, where Russian President Boris Yeltsin and the CIS leaders were holding a summit. The following year the Su-27IB was again displayed at the MAKS Airshow.
The next prototype, and first pre-production aircraft, T10V-2, first flew on 18 December 1993, with Igor Votintsev and Yevgeniy Revoonov at the controls.Built at Novosibirsk, where Su-24s were constructed, this aircraft was visibly different from the original prototype; it had modified vertical stabilizers, twin tandem main undercarriage and a longer "stinger", which houses a rearward-facing warning radar.The first aircraft built to production standard made its first flight on 28 December 1994.It was fitted with a fire-control system, at the heart of which was the Leninets OKB-designed V004 passive electronically scanned array radar.It was different enough from the earlier versions that it was re-designated the "Su-34".[26] However, at the 1995 Paris Air Show, the Su-34 was allocated the "Su-32FN" designation, signalling the aircraft's potential role as a shore-based naval aircraft for the Russian Naval Aviation. Sukhoi also promoted the Su-34 as the "Su-32MF" (MnogoFunksionalniy, "multi-function").
Budget restrictions caused the programme to stall repeatedly. Nevertheless, flight testing continued, albeit at a slow pace. The third pre-production aircraft first flew in late 1996.

Su-27 Flanker based design of the Su-34
The Su-34 replaces for Tu-23M and Su-24 aircraft. It is one of a number of Russian aircraft, Su-30, Su-33 and Su-35, which are based and developed from the Su-27 Flanker.
The Su-34 design retains the basic layout and construction of the Su-27 airframe, with a conventional high-wing configuration and a substantial part of the onboard equipment. The Su-34 has a changed contour of the nose section to accommodate an advanced, multi-mode, phased array radar with terrain following and terrain avoidance modes. It has a two-seat rather than single-seat cockpit. The capacity of the internal fuel tanks has been increased with a resulting increased take-off weight. Changes have been made to the central tail boom for rear-facing radar.

Su-34 cockpit
The cockpit has two K-36DM zero/zero ejection seats side-by-side for the pilot and co-pilot. The seats are supplied by Zvesda Research and Production Enterprise Joint Stock Company, Moscow. The multifunction displays in the cockpit show the flight parameters, the operational status of the aircraft units and tactical data.

Systems
The Su-34 is equipped with an electro-optical fire control system supplied by the Urals Optical and Mechanical Plant (YOM3) and a Geofizika FLIR (forward-looking infrared) pod. Leninetz of St Petersburg supplies the passive phased array radar system and TsNIRTI the electronic countermeasures suite.

Weapons on board the Su-34
The Su-34 is armed with a 30mm GSh-301 gun and 180 rounds of ammunition. The gun has a maximum rate of fire of 1,500 rounds a minute and the muzzle velocity is 860m/s. It is supplied by the Instrument Design Bureau in Tula.
The aircraft has ten hardpoints for weapon payloads and is able to carry a range of missiles, including air-to-air, air-to-surface, anti-ship and anti-radiation missiles, guided and unguided bombs, and rockets. The aircraft is fitted with a target designator.
The R-73 (Nato codename AA-11 Archer) short-range, air-to-air missile is supplied by the Vympel State Engineering design Bureau in Moscow. The R-73 is an all-aspect missile capable of engaging targets in tail-chase or head-on mode. The missile has cooled infrared homing. The R-73 attacks the target within target designation angles of ±45° and with angular rates up to 60° a second. The missile can intercept targets at altitudes between 0.02km and 20km, target G-load to 12g, and with target speeds to 2,500km/h.
The RVV-AE long-range air-to-air missile, also known as the RR-77 or by the Nato designation AA-12, is manufactured by Vympel. The missile can intercept targets at speeds up to 3,600km/h and altitudes from 0.02km to 25km. The minimum range in the aft hemisphere is 300m and the maximum vertical separation between the host aircraft and the target is 10km.
The RR-77 has inertial guidance with mid-course radio updates and terminal active guidance. A new, longer-range (150km) version of the R-77, with solid fuel ram-jet propulsion, is being tested by Vympel.
The Su-34 carries a range of precision-guided and unguided bombs and rockets, including the KAB-500 laser-guided bomb developed by the Region State Research and Production Enterprise based in Moscow.

Engines and performance
First production aircraft are powered by two after-burning NPO Saturn AL-31F turbofan engines. Later aircraft may be fitted with MMPP Salyut AL-31F-M2/3 or NPO Saturn 117 engines. They are mounted under the wing and are equipped with all-duty fixed geometry air intakes. A rotor protection installed in the air intakes provides protection against the ingestion of foreign objects.
The aircraft can carry 12,100kg of fuel internally in two fuel tanks in the wings and four in the fuselage. Three external fuel tanks, each with a capacity of 3,000l, can also be fitted.
The aircraft can achieve a speed of 1,900km/h (Mach 1.6) at altitude and 1,300km/h (Mach 1) at sea level, and has a flight range of 4,000km.

Operational history
The Su-34's long range was shown in a July 2010 exercise when Su-34s and Su-24Ms were moved from Russian bases in Europe to one on the Pacific coast, 6,000 kilometres away, which requires in-flight refuelling. The exercise included aircraft carrying weapons at full load, simulated delivering them on a target before arriving at the Pacific coast base. Su-24Ms were refuelled three times, while the Su-34 was refuelled twice.
The Russian Air Force completed the final stage of the state tests on 19 September 2011.The aircraft entered service in early 2014.The Su-34 was rumoured to have been used by Russian command during the 2008 South Ossetia war.Russia plans to have 124 in use to 2020.This total is planned to increase to 200 later.
On 4 June 2015, a Su-34 had an accident in Russia's Voronezh region while conducting a routine training mission. The airplane's parachute failed to open after landing and the Su-34 slid off the runway and flipped over. Nobody was killed.

Specifications (Su-34)
Data from Sukhoi data,Gordon and Davison,AF Technology

General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 23.34 m (72 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 14.7 m (48 ft 3 in)
Height: 6.09 m (19 ft 5 in)
Wing area: 62.04 m² (667.8 ft²)
Empty weight: 22,500 kg (49,608 lb)
Loaded weight: 39,000 kg (85,980 lb)
Useful load: 12,000 kg (26,455 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 45,100 kg (99,425 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × 13,500 kgf (132 kN, 29,762 lbf) afterburning thrust Lyulka AL-31FM1 turbofans
Internal fuel: 12,100 kg (15,400 l)

Performance
Maximum speed:
High altitude: Mach 1.8+ (≈2,000 km/h, 1,200 mph)
Low altitude: Mach 1.2 (1,400 km/h, 870 mph) at sea level
Cruise speed: unknown
Range: 1,100 km (680 mi) at low level altitude
Combat radius: 1,000+ km (about 680 mi)
Ferry range: 4,000 km (2,490 mi)
Service ceiling: 15,000 m (49,200 ft)
Thrust/weight: 0.68
Maximum g-load: 9g

Armament
Guns: 1× 30 mm GSh-30-1 (9A-4071K) cannon, 150–180 rounds[100]
Hardpoints: 12× wing and fuselage stations with a capacity of 8,000–12,000 kg and provisions to carry combinations of:
Rockets:
S-8, S-13, S-25 rocket pods
Missiles:
R-27 (AA-10) air-to-air missile
R-73 (AA-11) air-to-air missile
R-77 (AA-12) air-to-air missile
Kh-29L/T (AS-14) air-to-ground missile
Kh-38 new generation air-to-ground missile with a range of 40 km
Kh-25MT/ML/MP (AS-10) air-to-ground missile or anti-radiation missile
Kh-59M (AS-18) air-to-ground missile
Kh-58 (AS-11) anti-radiation missile
Kh-31 (AS-17) anti-radiation or anti-ship missile
Kh-35 (AS-20) anti-ship missile
P-800 Oniks missile (SS-N-26 Strobile) anti-ship missile (version for the Air Force). Version named "Alpha", weight of 1500 kg with a range of up to 300 km and a speed in the range of numbers M = 2.2-3.0. Officially not in service.
Kh-65SE or Kh-SD cruise missile
Bombs:
KAB-500L, KAB-500KR, KAB-500S and KAB-1500L/KR guided bombs
OFAB-250-270, OFAB-100-120, FAB-500T, BETAB-500SHP, P-50T, ODAB-500PM unguided bombs, RBK-500 and SPBE-D cluster bombs, nuclear bombs.
Other:
3,000 litres PTB-3000 Suspended Fuel Tanks, EW and reconnaissance pods.